I got honked at this week at one of them. The other driver making the right turn north onto Kenaston believed I cut him off. The truth is that he was turning into the wrong lane.
There are two turning lanes right on that particular intersection. However, there are three lanes heading north. The curb lane though is for turning into IKEA. The lane disappears shortly after the store.
Painted lines indicate that cars are to move to the through lanes. However, as always happens on Kenaston as it winds around at that intersection, lines disappear.
The driver behind me was having a hissy fit. He was obviously unfamiliar with the corner as all other cars were moving accordingly to the two far lanes.
I first detailed the problems with this turning system when it was built. It depends too heavily on lines on the road that disappear with even the lightest snow. The turning lane on north Kenaston is used as a speeding lane to dodge traffic at the lights and zip in front of everyone. In heavy traffic though, it results in a pile up because the lane simply disappears.
I have seen the IKEA traffic lights taken out a few times already.
It didn't have to be this way. The late councillor Bill Clement was told of the what the traffic problems would be and people asked about service roads around the mall. They were derisively dismissed as anti-development. And now we have two deadly corners that have had tens of millions spent on them, some after that fact of development, and we still people hurt and dying.
In former Bill Clement's ward: Moray and Portage, Kenaston and McGillivary and Kenaston and Sterling Lyon are responsible for maiming and killing Winnipeg citizens.
Blaming the drivers for this is too easy and too pat an answer. My almost collision occurred at a speed of under 15 kms. I defy drivers who have never used that road to be able to figure out their lanes for even ideal road conditions.
This is planning plain and simple. And it is happening all over the city.
Bill Clement's ward is now Paula Havixbeck's problem. At the very least she should be asking for better signage.
How many people have to die before someone acts?
In Paula's defense, she has a crap-ton of things she is or could be complaining about - she seems to have taken the lead position of the right-of-centre opposition to Katz, so she's fighting Police Station/Land Swap etc., plus she has the fiasco on Laxdal, and I'm sure there are other things I am missing.
ReplyDeleteIf all she did is put forward criticism and complaints, even when they are perfectly justifiable and reasonable, she'll get slammed for "being negative". I don't disagree that perhaps this should be moved up her list of priorities, but from what I can see, she seems to have more on her plate than some other Councillors nearby (eg. Nordman, Fielding).